[Neurons] 2019 Neurons #36 WHEN THINKING IS CLOUDY

[Michael Hall]

From: L. Michael Hall

2019 Neurons #36

August 12, 2019

 

WHEN THINKING IS CLOUDY

 

Dominating the news last week and this week has been the distressing events
involving two mass shootings, one in El Paso, Texas and the other in Dayton,
Ohio killing some 31 people and wounding dozens of others.  Interesting
enough, one shooter wrote a manifesto aligning mostly with the right and the
other aligning with one of the democratic candidates (Elizabeth Warren).  In
spite of that, the "media" generally engaged in "the blame game" illogically
blaming President Donald Trump for the shootings- something the media did
not do when there were mass shootings under Obama.

 

In the meantime, President Trump called the mass shooting Saturday in El
Paso, Texas, an "act of cowardice," and said there "are no reasons or
excuses that will ever justify killing people."  Then he said in the
strongest words possible that we have to be against all racist ideologies
and white supremacist ideology.  

"Today's shooting in El Paso, Texas, was not only tragic, it was an act of
cowardice. I know that I stand with everyone in this Country to condemn
today's hateful act. There are no reasons or excuses that will ever justify
killing innocent people." 

 

How much clearer could he be?  And while you might think that would end the
blame game, it did not.  The fallacious argument being used is that Trump's
"rhetoric is racist" because it "creates an atmosphere" of hostility.
[Apparently they do not consider their own rhetoric of name-callng, insults,
and threats as racist or creating an atmosphere of hostility!]  As evidence
they quote various statements from Trump, yet not a single quote actually
says what they say it says.  They quote statements and they seem to believe
it proves their point.  Yet even others on the same side admit they are
over-reaching.  So what's going on here? 

 

The answer is filtering.  People filter their thinking, reasoning, and
arguing through certain biased filters (cognitive biases) and do not realize
that they are doing so.  They actually think that they are seeing and
hearing evidence for their conclusions.  This is the nature of cognitive
filters- something that we all do and a challenge to clear thinking that we
all have to deal with.  It is the confirmation bias.  It is the very reason
we need to do critical thinking and why critical thinking one of the most
needed cognitive make-overs we all need.  It seems to me to especially apply
those in politics and in the media.

 

Now the most extensive list of filters in NLP is the Meta-Program filters.
These perceptual lens color the way we think, reason, and argue.  And they
are inevitable.  Yet they don't have to blind us.  It is only when a person
doesn't realize the filtering effect of their meta-programs that the filter
operates as blind-spots.

 

Here then is an explanation for the cloudy thinking which is so regularly
demonstrated by the media.  There's no need to demonize those who do so-
they are caught up in a dilemma that is altogether human and inevitable.
Yet that doesn't excuse it.  It is still false, inaccurate, and muddled (as
Bateson would say).  It still needs to be challenged and corrected.

 

Yet there is now an even bigger problem, namely, many do not seem to want to
correct their cloudy, muddled thinking.   I get it, or at least
kind-of-understand it, with political candidates- after all, they have an
agenda.  And as with nearly all politicians, they seem willing to use any
and every cognitive fallacy to make a point.  Wouldn't it be great if they
were required to study critical thinking?  It seems to be in the nature of
politics to exaggerate, take things out of context, engage in name calling,
insulting, etc.  All parties do this.  Apparently, the candidates seem to
think this will get them votes.  If that's the case, we can undercut a lot
of that by teaching more and more people critical thinking [which is one
thing we are doing in Neuro-Semantics].

 

But then there is the mainstream media.  If they were real journalists, they
would know better than to present such a one-sided view.  Yet many of them
seem to be as greedy and unethical as aggrandizing politicians.  They grab
onto any statement, or mis-statement, take it out of context, exaggerate it,
use it to blame and accuse- all to get a story or a headline. 

 

Another set of filters are the cognitive biases.  These also are quite human
and inevitable until a person understands them and develops skill in
catching them in the moment.  Of course, doing that requires meta-cognitive
development- something built into the Meta-States Model.  I put these biases
into seven categories in Executive Thinking to make them easier to remember.

           The Understanding Bias - assuming you understand.

           The Availability Bias - assuming that the information that's
available is sufficient.

           The Confirmation Bias - assuming that what you believe is being
confirmed.

           The Consistency Bias - assuming that consistency proves
credibility.

           The Experiential Bias - assuming that if you experience it, it
is true.

           The Social Bias -      assuming those around you are pointing
you in the right direction.

           The Context Bias -   assuming that context is irrelevant and
doesn't really matter.

 

The cure for clearing up cloudy thinking is the executive thinking that your
higher brain functions are designed for.  But they are not automatic.  For
them to be operational, you have to develop them.  And that comes through
learning and practice until you train the skill so it becomes automatic.
And that's why we now have Brain Camp for Cognitive Make-Overs.

 

              

 

 

 

 

L. Michael Hall, Ph.D.

Executive Director, Neuro-Semantics

P.O. Box 8

Clifton CO. 81520 USA

www.neurosemantics.com   look for the special offer

 

Author of the stunning new history of NLP--- NLP Secrets.  

Investigative Journalism which has exposed what has been kept secrets for
decades. 

http://www.neurosemantics.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/NLP-Secrets-2_sml2.
png

 

 

 

 

 

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